MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

In the chilling silence of an abandoned hockey rink, Justin was found lifeless, strangled with a rope; Detective Winston now must dissect the truth from suspects, Yvette and Lillian.

Detective Winston looked out over the hockey rink, her breath fogging as she exhaled in the crisp cold. Justin had been such a force in his team, respected, a captain among men, though some might say too powerful. Now his power was reduced to the echo of ice skates and a somber memorial created by a grieving fan base. Justin had been planning to retire soon. The season had been hard on the team, one loss after another piling on each other, and perhaps that weighted on Justin’s mind. He spent a lot of time at this rink, long hours practicing, lamenting, dwelling.

As cold as the rink was, Winston had another colder, less inviting place to visit - Lillian, a self-proclaimed follower of hockey and a big fan of Justin's team. She'd made her way to the rink too and spent a notable amount of time on the ice when the security cameras had proven to be faulty, no eyes spying her presence. The timing of her visits struck Winston as interesting. 

Winston arrived at the therapy center where Lillian was a patient. All around her, she saw various intriguing treatments - the use of ropes for exercise prominently in use. They seemed innocuous, everyday objects one wouldn’t look twice at in this setting, yet she had to remember that one such rope was the murder weapon. The center’s policies were loose, not closely monitoring rope use or restricting patients from borrowing it.

She found Lillian in one of the therapy rooms, working through her regimen, her face a mask of exerted effort as she battled her way through a routine with the ropes.

“How are your sessions coming along, Lillian?” Winston asked. 

Lillian paused, sweat glistening off her forehead. “It’s been therapeutic, they are helping me," she replied.

Winston watched as Lillian resumed her therapy. She mused over a nugget of a conversation Lillian had with a friend she'd come across in her investigation. "I would make a better captain than Justin," Lillian had bemoaned.

Winston looked at Lillian, her determination in handling the ropes, her eyes set out on a possible future where she could fill Justin’s skates, and couldn’t help but think of how Justin’s power had irked Lillian.

Winston walked away from the center, leaving Lillian to her thoughts and her rope therapy. But as she got in her car, she couldn't shake off the eerie feeling of rustling ropes echoing in the cold air of the rink and the fierce determination in Lillian’s eyes.

Instinctively, Winston flipped open his notepad as he arrived at the local hockey rink. It was here, behind the rink, that Justin had been killed. His neighbors had mentioned an unusual quiet at his house recently, which stirred further suspicion. The place still held the cold dread one felt when faced with such an incident. He was here to talk to Yvette, the choreographer, a key witness who was present at the scene for the setup.

A quick glance around the rink spotted her immediately. Yvette, poised and expressionless, stood at a distance overlooking the rink. Her stance reflected her dedication to her work - her reputation in choreography was indeed her lifeline. But her presence at the rink during Justin's murder raised alarms in Winston's mind.

"Yvette?" Winston confirmed, striding across the rink to meet her.

"Yes, detective," she replied, her voice cool and composed.

"Busy day?" Winston casually started, looking around the place.

"Always," Yvette conceded, then added almost immediately. "I insist on having my private life, so I condense my work."

"Convenient," Winston thought aloud. "And the dance studio? Neighbors said it's often closed. Unexpectedly."

Yvette paused before responding, "My trips. I need them for my creative process."

Winston nodded, letting a silence hang for a moment. "Lot of work preparing for a show, huh?"

"Absolutely." Yvette replied with a trace of bitterness. "Justin was actually set to give his speech during intermission. I saw an early draft. It was... brutal."

Winston noticed the change in her tone. "Against you?"

Yvette nodded, adding, "Justin was planning to insinuate that my choreographies were... stolen."

"I see." Winston’s eyes never left Yvette. Recalling the neighbors' remarks about the unusual quietness at her house, he pondered on it for a moment. But in the world of murder mysteries, nothing was clear cut. "Well, I appreciate your cooperation, Yvette."

He left her standing there, on the ice. Earlier, he'd have viewed her differently, a choreographer, a creator. But facts were facts, and Yvette was found on the crime scene during Justin's murder.

choices

• Yvette
• Lillian